On Risa's NightHouse, Gaki-san talked about something interesting that happened with Ikuta and Sato as MM rehearsed for the Spring Tour.
For Gaki-san's solo song at the concert, Egao ni Namida, she has Fuku-chan, Suzuki, Ikuta, and Sato as backdancers. However, Sato couldn't do the choreography right during rehearsals, so the day before the opening concert, it was decided that she would be taken out. Moreover, in the choreography, Ikuta and Sato have the same moves/position, so it was decided that Ikuta would also be taken out. When they were told this, Ikuta burst into tears, going, "Noo! I don't like this!!!"
Tsunku, the dance instructor, and Gaki-san had specifically chosen the 4 of them, so of course they wanted them to be in it, but since Sato couldn't get it right, they couldn't.
Then the next day (the first day of the tour), during rehearsal, Ikuta led Sato to their dance instructor and said, "Please let her do it one more time! Please watch!" Anyone could see that they were working very very hard, so they got the dance instructor's approval to appear after all. Up until the performance, Sato kept practicing in front of the mirror and eventually did it right during the actual performance.
Gaki-san realized that Sato is reliable and she was relieved to see that the 9th gen is capable of leading the 10th gen even after she graduates